Walking holidays, tours and vacations on Mount Pelion, Greece

Playground of the gods

The Pelion peninsula, on the Aegean coast of mainland Greece about 160 miles north of Athens, is an area known until recently only by the Greeks and the most determined of tourists. Its kindly climate (relatively warm from March to November, rarely scorchingly hot, and good winter rains) explains the cloak of woodlands and fresh pastures. Its villages were traditionally linked by a system of paved donkey tracks known as calderimi, and it is these gentle old paths that you will follow for much of your holiday.

From the hill village of Miliés, and across the peninsula to delightful Tsangarada, where Doris Schlepper has created a magical (and visitable) garden, down to the tiny harbour and beach at Damouchari, to your final destination, Aghios Joannis. This family resort on the Aegean allows the idle springtime walker to laze on little-used beaches fringing crystal clear waters.

For September and October clients, when the resort virtually closes, we recommend instead a free day each in Tsangarada and charming Skiathos, staying an additional night in each of the two most attractive pensions on the route, and the opportunity to bathe in the warm Aegean when the crowds have departed.